Great event last night in Wisconsin! It was an honor to meet great Americans who are working so hard to remind us of life's sanctity and value. I commend this fine state for its efforts to make our nation a more welcoming place for all children.

Let me set the record straight on the media's follow-up reports of the great event: Despite what CNN reported, decisions about not allowing cameras at the event were the prerogative of the sponsors of the event, and I, of course, respected their decision.

I am about to set out on my book tour, where media will no doubt join us at many spots. In the meantime, I ask our friends in the media once again: please quit making things up.

- Sarah Palin

PS: Attached is a photo from the event. You can read more about the excellent work the Wisconsin Right to Life does here.

“We’ve got Congress -- Democratic-controlled Congress -- messing around with a miserable health care bill,” he said. “They should be focused like a laser on jobs, not acting like a manure-spreader in a wind storm.”

Nice. I like it, keep it up.

Now, how does John Binkley fit into all of this? Well, John Binkley was a fellow Republican who ran against Sarah in the primary for Governor of Alaska. Sarah had a fairly consistent message throughout her race, and she was not afraid to point out where she disagreed with the current Governor of that time who was also running in the primary, pretty much always in third place.

Anyway, John Binkley at some point realized that he would have to start slamming Murkowski too, and so he did. Problem was, he was too late; Sarah beat him to that punch. John Binkley seems like he's a nice guy, kinda like Pawlenty. Like Binkley, there's nothing about Pawlenty that I particularly dislike, it's just that he's always about two steps behind Sarah Palin. Why go for the guy who's just doing what the frontrunner is doing?

By the way, Sarah defeated Binkley and Murkowski quite handily.

John Binley sits on the right next to his wife, watching Sarah take on Joe Biden.

Sarah Palin rallied thousands of abortion opponents Friday night with a stark warning that the same philosophy that allows abortion rights could soon be invoked to allow the government to cut off health care for the elderly or children with special needs.

Hmmm, fairly accurate. "Cut off" is a bit strong. What she actually said is that those two groups wouldn't be first in line. Couple the philosophy of utilitarianism with the government having to cut costs (that item is very important) and you could have dire unintended consequences. Right after that she cited the need to slow down and really understand everything that the health care bill will do. Implication: to avoid those unintended consequences.

But we know that that opening statement was just the bait to draw the reader in, so we'll cut Jonathan a break there. Perhaps he will clarify if we keep reading:

Speaking to a fund-raising banquet of Wisconsin Right to Life, the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee asserted that if policy-makers don’t believe a child in the womb is valuable, then “perhaps the same mind-set applies to other persons.”

“What may they feel about an elderly person who doesn’t have a whole lot of productive years left,” Palin asked an audience of about 5,000 who paid $30 each to hear her speak in an airplane hangar-like exhibition hall at the Wisconsin state fairgrounds just outside of Milwaukee. “In order to save government money, government health care has to be rationed… [so] than this elderly person that perhaps could be seen as costing taxpayers to pay for a non-productive life? Do you think our elderly will be first in line for limited health care?

And what about the child who perhaps isn’t deemed normal or perfect per someone’s subjective measure of their use or questionable purpose in the eyes of a panel of bureaucrats making our healthcare decisions for us,” she continued.

I don't remember if she actually mentioned rationing; she may have. I do remember that she said the government will have to cut costs. The rest of the above quote is pretty on target. Well, Martin clarified his opening bombshell. Let's continue:

Palin did not expressly raise the prospect of government-mandated “death panels” to determine who lives or dies – the incendiary and inaccurate charge she made over the summer about Democratic health care plans—but repeatedly suggested that liberal social policies could lead to de facto euthanasia.

Her warning was couched in repeated rhetorical questions about what might happen when laws are made by those she portrayed as having an insufficient appreciation for the sanctity of all human life.

“We have to think this through,” she said. “We have to get to the truth of this matter, healthcare reform.”

Martin's right that she never said "death panels," but she said everything but. She basically described or explained the idea behind the "death panel" phrase. And that's all it was, a phrase, a term for what she described in this speech. Too bad Martin doesn't see this. Does he dispute her charges of bad philosophy plus government costs = unintended consequences? If not, why dispute "death panels?" That's what death panels are. If you agree with the definition, why have a problem with the term? Was it incendiary? Oh, yeah. Therefore it was highly successful. But inaccurate? I'd say the concerns are logical. Oh, well, at least he mentioned her comment that we have to think this through, which was the whole point.

The fund-raiser was advertised as closed to media coverage, but at least three reporters, including one from POLITICO, attended simply by purchasing a ticket like other members of the public.

Palin has made few public appearances since resigning as governor in July, sequestering herself to write a much-anticipated book coming out later this month. But a year after the election that made her a global celebrity, her star has dimmed little with those same conservative activists who thronged her campaign rallies in this and other states.

The event made clear that for her ardent supporters she remains more phenomenon than traditional politician.

Not much to disagree with there. I sincerely doubt that only conservative activists thronged her rallies, but that's an old line and not worth discussing here. And not a traditional politician? Amen.

The line to get into the venue here stretched over a half-mile outside the building and a local conservative talk radio station even marked the event by printing t-shirts that welcomed her to the city, noted the date of her appearance and deemed her: “America’s Conservative Conscience.”

The anti-abortion group that hosted the event sought to raise money by including pledge cards on every chair that included an offer to become part of “Sarah’s Rogues” by giving $1,000 to the group in exchange for an autographed copy of her forthcoming memoir, “Going Rogue: An American Life."

The line was incredibly long. Thank goodness we got there fairly early. And the radio station truck was giving away those t-shirts. We picked up three. The fundraising part is also true. Nothing skewered in those paragraphs.

The event and the enthusiastic response were a vivid reminder of the following she commands. But her remarks also illuminated the mix of assets and limitations she would possess if she seeks to become a 2012 presidential contender.

Palin had remarks prepared but frequently wandered off-script to make a point, offering audience members a casual “awesome” or “bogus” in discussing otherwise weighty topics.

As in: “It is so bogus that society is sending a message right now and has been for probably the last 40 years that a woman isn’t strong enough or smart enough to be able to pursue an education, a career and her rights and still let her baby live.”

I didn't know using the word "bogus" was a crime. Maybe this is what Palin meant when she said it was hilarious to watch the media's heads spin when she boiled things down to simple truth. And typical to ignore the point she was making, which was right on, to focus on her wording. Priorities, people!

Other Palin touchstones included: praise for the military, jeers for the “the liberal media” and a general manner of speaking that often veered into rhetorical culs-de-sac.

While she drew applause during her remarks, Palin’s extemporaneous and frequently discursive style was such that she never truly roused a true-believing crowd as passionate about the issue at hand as she. Not once during her address did they rise to their feet.

In a closing exhortation, she urged the audience, “Don't ever let anyone to tell you to sit down and shut up.”

She did praise the military in her opening; she also called for any current military or veterans to rise during a moment of silence for the shooting at Fort Hood. I see Martin failed to mention that, but perhaps it was oversight.

As for her rhetorical "culs-de-sacs," there was no teleprompter that I saw. She was reading from notes. Once or twice she lost her place and quickly recovered. Nothing remarkable there.

As for no standing ovations, I don't remember. I thought there was at least one because I remember not being able to rise while I was writing down what she had just said. But upon further reflection, I realized that I could not say for sure. No matter. Enthusiastic applause peppered the speech whether people stood or not. And ovations were definitely there at the beginning and end, so much so that she looked like she was getting impatient.

She looked my way a couple of times - maybe she wasn't looking at me, but I couldn't help but think that she looked a tad disapproving, as if she thought I was a reporter. Maybe I was just imagining things, but it cracked me up anyway. Perhaps Martin was writing things down too and didn't notice his surroundings. And if there wasn't an ovation after every other line, it's because we wanted to hear her speak, not ourselves clap.

She then got a standing ovation from most of the crowd, but a few had begun to leave before she even finished and within seconds of her concluding, scores more got up and put on their jackets as they walked away.

Okay, the reason for this is that there were thousands of people there, it was around 9:00 - 9:30 at night, many people (like me) had driven four or five hours to be there, and we wanted to get out of the parking lot before everybody else did. It had nothing to do with not liking what she had to say, only the realization that with the throng around her there was no chance of seeing her anyway, so you might as well hit the door before everyone else.

The same thing happened all the time in college - everybody bolted for the door to beat the crowd. Sheesh, Martin, give it a rest.

Also, if memory serves, a couple people may have left before she was done (I couldn't see everybody), but where I was, she was done long before anyone started getting up. After her speech, the organizers came on and spoke again, brought out the check, etc.... That's when people started leaving, because they knew it was over.

In addition to the suggestion that government officials would consider hastening the death of the infirm or handicapped, she began her remarks with a puzzling commentary on the design of newly minted dollar coins.

Noting that there had been a lot of “change” of late, Palin recalled a recent conversation with a friend about how the phrase “In God We Trust” had been moved to the edge of the new coins.

“Who calls a shot like that?” she demanded. “Who makes a decision like that?”

She added: “It’s a disturbing trend.”

Unsaid but implied was that the new Democratic White House was behind such a move to secularize the nation’s currency.

But the new coins – concerns over which apparently stemmed from an email chain letter widely circulated among conservatives – were commissioned by the Republican-led Congress in 2005 and approved by President Bush.

Any attempt to accuse the Obama White House of this did not exist. It may have been implied through the "change" thing, but by the time she gotten through her story, all memory of that phrase was gone. My impression is that she was calling out the general trends in Washington, D.C. that have been going on for quite some time. She even mentioned that it didn't seem like that big of a deal. It was just indicative of what's been happening.

Also, I don't know this, but I'm sure Alaska is a little behind in these things, like gold coin circulation among the general populace. And how many people really use those gold dollars anyway? I have two that I threw in my jar a few years ago and haven't looked at them since. I think they're pretty useless. Unless you get those stupid chain e-mail forwards with those things in it (my mom gets them and is forever sharing - I just delete) you're probably going to be out of that loop.

Palin also offered flashes of the traits that endear her to many conservatives.

Offering great personal detail, she relayed the story of how she came to find out that her infant son, Trig, had Down Syndrome. She confessed to being scared and said that she and her husband, Todd, turned to God to prepare them.

After years of advocating against abortion in theory – what she called “preaching to the choir” – Palin said she was presented with the stark reality of what to do with a special-needs baby.

“I am thankful to have been asked to walk the walk,” she said.

True, true, and true.

Palin also included a few less personal, but as compelling, flourishes in her remarks, citing Pope John Paul II (never a bad idea in a heavily-Catholic part of the country), referring to scripture (John 16:13) and noting that such feminist pioneers as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton had opposed abortion (she called them “foremothers”).

She also demonstrated a politician’s ability to connect with a local crowd, relating that her grandmother was born in Chippewa Falls, her dad had played high school football with Packers great Jerry Kramer and, with an audience that likely watched a lot of Fox News, noted her relationship with the network’s talk show, Wisconsin native Greta Van Susteren.

Pretty true. She didn't quote John 16:13 in its entirety, just a portion of it relating to truth. Truth, by the way, seemed to be the theme of her speech; the idea that truth would bring change. Just getting the truth out there would change more hearts and minds than legislation ever could. Pope John Paul II was also mentioned because he too fought the utilitarian approach to human life because of his experiences.

Further, Palin talked with ease about the abortion issue, touting polling this year that showed a majority of the country opposing the procedure, recalling successful ad campaigns (“Choose Life”) on the issue and casting her own opposition to it in terms familiar to the movement.

Palin didn’t mention President Obama by name, but did take a shot at him for opposing an abortion-related measure as an Illinois state senator and more than once mocked his catch phrase.

"Let's talk about change we can believe in," Palin said. "Friends, a majority of Americans identify as pro life, and thank God for that."

Pretty accurate.

She reserved her toughest critique for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, eliciting boos from the crowd at the mention of the speaker’s name. Palin urged Pelosi to allow House members to vote on an amendment that would bar any taxpayer funds from being used to fund abortion.

“We need to make sure she hears the message that she will held accountable if she does not let this at least come to a vote of her colleagues so they can have their voice be heard,” Palin said.

Yup. She also praised Democrats who were fighting the funding of abortion on demand through the health care legislation. Go, Blue Dogs! She also called for Pelosi to keep her promises (citing ones previously broken) by at least providing a degree of transparency.

After she concluded her remarks – and presented the organization with an oversized, $1,000 check – Palin signed autographs for some of the few hundred people who surged toward the dais.

Alissa Maerzke, 12 and wearing a “Palin 2012” t-shirt, was elated that she got the former governor’s signature.

After collecting a congratulatory hug from her mom, Maerzke recounted that she asked Palin if she was going to run for president. “She just smiled,” said the girl.

In the line on the way into the event, a gentleman wearing a Harley-Davidson fleece pull-over and jeans joked to his friends that he was going to ask Palin to marry him, summing up his devotion this way: “She thinks like I do, she’s absolutely gorgeous and Democrats are afraid of her – what’s not to like?”

Ditto on the check. As for his personal encounters, I can neither confirm nor deny those remarks:)

Overall analysis: It was a pretty fair rendering except for the standing ovation parts and his misrepresentation of people leaving early. He also could have done without the pot shots over the "death panel" stuff.

And he spelled Trig with two G's, but I corrected it in quoting the article.

I was just running through the past few days of C4P. I've been awol for a couple days and wanted to catch up. This tidbit was there on their review of "Sarah from Alaska," that book the two reporters wrote:

Matt Scully was not initially overly impressed with the first draft of the speech he wrote for Governor Palin's convention speech. Palin subsequently became heavily involved in crafting the speech and had managed to pretty much memorize it.

Scully also wrote Palin's concession speech that she never gave. The version she was supposed to give if they lost had this line:

'It would be a happier night if elections were a test of valour and merit alone, but that is not for us to question now.'

I think Palin must have either been involved with the writing of the concession speech as well, or else known it to the point of memorizing it like her RNC speech, because she said almost exactly that line in this interview after the election:

Like many Americans, I’m very concerned about the efforts underway to rush through the 2,000 page Pelosi health care bill this weekend. Why the rush? That’s a lot of pages to read. Why not give everyone the chance to read it and debate it? How much will this bill cost us? It’s unclear because the figures coming out of Washington keep changing – and always in the direction of costing more, not less.

The latest numbers show it will cost more than a trillion dollars over the decade, but when has a government program ever come in on or under budget? How will we pay for it? Taxes, of course – and not just on the “rich” (you know, the people who spur the economy by buying goods and running companies that employ people), but also on just about everyone, especially small businesses – the job-creating engine of our economy.

One of the points of health care reform was to help small businesses with the cost, but this bill hurts them – and right at a time when so many Americans are out of work and need the jobs that small businesses produce.

What’s in this bill? The “death panel” provision is in it. Medicare cuts are in it. Coverage of illegal immigrants is in it. And federal funding for abortion is in it. I commend the many Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats who are taking a principled stance to fight this. I had a message for Speaker Pelosi in a speech I gave last night for the Wisconsin Right to Life – “please, please don’t break the ‘transparency promise’ by prohibiting at least a vote of your colleagues on funding abortion-on-demand.”

Speaker Pelosi has already broken many promises thus far in this “reform” exercise. She promised that this would be a bi-partisan effort, but the bill she’s pushing isn’t bi-partisan. She promised that the final version of the bill would be posted online 72 hours before it comes to a vote so that the American people could clearly see what’s in it and how we will pay for it. But she broke that promise too when she decided to rush the bill to a vote this weekend. The speaker must be held accountable for her broken promises.

Now is the time for Americans who believe in the free market and who believe that we need policies that promote job growth instead of job loss to say once and for all, “Enough!” Stand up and make your voices heard before it’s too late.

Call and email your representatives and tell them to vote “no” on Pelosi’s train wreck of a health care bill, or else we will vote “no” to sending them back to Washington when we go to the polls in less than 12 months.

PS: For an idea of the bureaucratic maze that the Pelosi bill would create, take a look atthis new chart put out by the Joint Economic Committee.

First off, on this comment from Politico: "She then got a standing ovation from most of the crowd, but a few had begun to leave before she even finished and within seconds of her concluding, scores more got up and put on their jackets as they walked away."

Okay, the reason for this is that there were thousands of people there, it was around 9:00 - 9:30 at night, many people (like me) had driven four or five hours to be there, and we wanted to get out of the parking lot before everybody else did. It had nothing to do with not liking what she had to say, only the realization that with the throng around her there was no chance of seeing her anyway, so you might as well hit the door before everyone else. The same thing happened all the time in college - everybody bolted for the door to beat the crowd. Sheesh, Politico, give it a rest.

Also, if memory serves, a couple people may have left before she was done, but where I was, she was done long before anyone started getting up. After her speech, the organizers came on and spoke again, brought out the check, etc.... That's when people started leaving, because they knew it was over.

There are more quotes from Sarah's Milwaukee Pro-life speech here. She did say those things. It fleshes out some of the stuff I paraphrased, like her concerns over the new healthcare bill. I just wasn't able to get everything written down and I can't remember everything. I also remember now that she said things like beware of a philosophy that figuratively and literally throws human beings in the garbage. Turns humans into trash.

As for a couple of the comments I got on my account:

Lynn: I think the kissin' Trig pic I found might have been in Sarah's 2009 calendar.

KaJo: On the gold coin - I have no idea when it happened. My notes were by no means a complete transcript. I was just trying to catch the gist. Not to mention, something like that can be going on for some time in other parts of the country; I'm sure Alaska is a little behind in these things. And how many people really use those gold dollars anyway? I have two and I think they're pretty useless. Unless you get those stupid chain e-mail forwards with those things in it (my mom gets them and is forever sharing - I just delete) you're probably going to be out of that loop. And just to clarify, it didn't sound like she was necessarily accusing any particular person (like Obama) of the change. Bush did a lot I wasn't too happy with, and she also mentioned that it probably wasn't that big of a deal.

On the technician - again, I can't be sure of the exact wording. I know the quote on the boy parts is accurate, but I can't tell you word for word about the neck; it was something like that though. My take on it was that the technician noticed something a little off and so they decided to run tests. It sounds like she was just thinking out loud, not making a diagnosis. I'm going to take that out of my notes on the speech, since I'm not sure of the exact wording and I don't want to cause trouble where there really isn't any. That was a concern when I wrote this up, that I would misconstrue something. I'm actually thinking of taking the post down at some point.

I've also just been informed that KaJo is a Trig Truther. Expect my comments to show up on some anti-Palin websites completely spun out of context.

I just got back from seeing Sarah Palin at the Right to Life event in Milwaukee. Here's a basic rundown of my experience. You probably don't care, but I'm going to tell you anway. I've only slept like four hours in the last two days. I pretty much have big raccoon rings under my eyes, so bear with me:

I jumped on ordering tickets as soon as the event was announced. I called my parents and told them about it, after which they refused to let me travel the four hours distance to get there on my own, so my Dad ended up taking me, which was fine. I mapped it out and told him where to go and we went.

We got to the event about 45 minutes before the outer doors opened (around 4:45) and there was a fairly small line. As we stood there we were glad we got there when we did because the line filled in behind us pretty fast.

There was a lady a ways ahead of us in line wearing an Alaskan sweatshirt who claimed that she either had been or currently is Sarah's neighbor. I wasn't able to get close enough to find out details, but I was dying, dying, of curiosity. At any rate, she seemed to approve of Sarah.

Once we got inside, the place filled up slowly, and from where I was sitting, it looked packed. I'd say a safe estimate would be a few thousand people, if not more.

I saw Sapwolf from C4P. He was about ten rows ahead of me. Yes, he's from New York, and yes, he came all the way here. Good grief, man, you get around. He was wearing his C4P shirt. I didn't say hi, mostly because I was about to fall asleep and probably looked like I'd been up for four days and had just stumbled out of a washing machine. But Sapwolf, if you noticed a girl lookin' at you with red hair and a red Wisconsin shirt, that was me.

Anyway, it was supposed to start at 7:30, but it didn't get started right on the dot, and people were getting antsy. All of a sudden, some applause and hollering broke out and people started standing up. I stood up too because I thought it might be Sarah, but no, it was the Republican candidate for Governor, Scott Walker. False alarm (sigh). Antsy again.

A couple minutes later some people started chanting "Sarah!" as if they were trying to bring her out. They chanted in vain. A couple more minutes ticked by.

Finally, at maybe 7:35, the organizer of the event got up and spoke, followed by one of the main people at Wisconsin Right to Life. They shared some good stuff. He apparently got his girlfriend pregnant when he was 19. They decided to have the baby, and today she's married and will soon be giving them a grandchild. It's safe to say that the pro-life movement is personal to him.

He was followed by a woman who talked about the successes Wisconsin's RTL is having and what they're doing. Again, good stuff, but not really why we came. She asked if anyone was here from out of the country and Sapwolf yelled out, "New York!" and raised his hand. Finally, the woman introduced Sarah, who came through the curtain off to the side of the stage.

I gotta tell ya, the place went absolutely insane. I've never seen her in person before. My first thought was, "Oh, my goodness, she's short!" (Not like, tiny short, but short, nonetheless). My next thoughts were somewhere along the line of "I can't believe she's right there! I can't believe she's right there!....." You get the idea.

She was wearing a red suit and looked awesome. I didn't try to get any pictures or autographs at the end or anything. One, they wouldn't let us bring cameras in; two, that's not why I was there. I know what she looks like; I wanted to hear what she had to say.

The applause went on for awhile. She tried a few times to get us to shut up so she could speak, but nothing doing, we just kept on cheering. Finally, we decided to sit down and let her have her say.

The event was obviously not tailored for recording. There were a couple of screens, but the lighting wasn't quite right so the screen version of her was just a little off. I'm pretty sure it's the shadows that weren't right. I was pretty close though, so I just looked at her. In person she looked great, but you'd be surprised what improper lighting can do to the camera version of something. I just ignored the screens. Besides, I was trying to take notes.

The first thing she did was ask if there were any soldiers or veterans in the audience and asked us to give them a round of applause. My dad is a vet. Then she asked them to stand while we observed a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting at Fort Hood. She said she'd be prayin' during that silence. Two of the soldiers killed were from Wisconsin.

After that she started off like she always does, making connections to Alaska. First up, her grandmother was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Secondly, she gave a shout out to Greta van Susteren. She said she's never been around Greta where she hasn't heard her singing Wisconsin's praises. Greta, of course, is from Appleton, Wisconsin.

Sarah said the third connection was a bit more nebulous. Her father (her mom was there with her, by the way. She was sitting in the audience. That's the only family member I saw or heard mentioned as having been there.) Anyway, I think she said her father had gone to high school with a Jerry (Jeremy?) something, a guy who turned into a Green Bay Packer. I'm not a Packer guru, so don't ask me for details. But Sarah was saying how she was on the phone with her Dad asking him this stuff, and she wanted more details. Her dad was going on about the guy and asking her, "Don't you remember...?" this, this, and that about the player's record. Sarah was like, "Dad, I don't even know if I was born!"

She then got into more serious things. She took out a gold coin, one of those new gold dollars. She said a friend of hers got it as change or something at a car wash (don't quote me, I was writing notes) and asked her what was missing. It was, of course, "In God We Trust." It's been moved to the edge of the coin on the new gold dollars. Sarah said that she knew it wasn't seemingly a big deal, but it was indicative or what's going on in our country, and she just had to wonder, who gave their stamp of approval to that? "In God We Trust," our motto, is being pushed to the outside?

She then mentioned the size of the crowd and said that she liked it for selfish reasons. She said that she looks out at the crowd and thinks, "Thank God; I am not doing this alone."

The theme of her speech seemed to be Truth. She kept coming back to that word. The idea being that as the truth gets put out there by groups like Wisconsin RTL, things will change. They are already changing.

She quoted a Bible verse, but good gravy if I caught the reference. I've got an idea of what it was though; I'll keep looking.

Here's a few other quotes. Some are fairly accurate, others are as best as I could write them down:

"...Babies who survive botched abortions; there are some politicians who would choose to see those babies die."

(referring to the Gallop poll) "The majority of Americans do identify as pro-life, and I thank God for that trend."

(talking about Wisconsin right to life and others in the rank and file) "You didn't sit down and shut up - you went rogue!"

"Some politicians did not support providing care to botched abortion survivors...one is now in the White House."

"They call our position extremist; it is not....(she talked about Roe vs. Wade defining abortion as a right and our position is now seen as anti-liberty, anti-freedom...)

"We're not anti-anything; we're for the very best of life."

"Just simply affirm life."

"A baby is a baby, regardless of the circumstances of her conception."

She called out Nancy Pelosi, talked about how the federal government is looking to fund abortion on demand in healthcare bill. She demanded that Nancy Pelosi live up to her promises and allow transparency in the healthcare bill. She mentioned some Democrats that are fighting these provisions, and said that at the very least Pelosi should allow them their say and a vote.

"I appreciate the Democrats that are fighting abortion on demand in the healthcare bill."

She talked about how we need to help and not be afraid of getting our hands dirty. Too often we shove these things off on the government so we don't have to worry about them: "Don't look to government to walk the walk for us.....Life happens. Don't just hand the government our pregnant teens." She said that beauty could come from less than ideal circumstances.

"I feel a real change is coming, and we can't give up now."

She talked about some feminists of today who "claim to speak for all women. The earliest feminists were pro-life."

She mentioned some of those feminists and what they said. "More young women today agree with our feminist foremothers." (Young women today, the Millennials, are more pro-life than their parents' generation.)

"Don't wait for the government." (talking about how laws have their own process and take time, we just need to get out there and promote life, even if nothing is moving politically.)

She talked briefly about how the danger of judging human life based on utilitarianism. She said that if you judge by utilitarian standards, and the government has to cut costs (under new healthcare bill), our elderly would not be first in line for care, neither would our special needs children.

She said it was funny to see the media's heads spin when she boiled it down to simple terms of truth. She said, "I don't think they can handle the truth yet, but...."

And then finally: "If you feel like you've been pushed out on the edge, come back in; you're not alone; come in and fight with us."

She repeated some of the things she'd said in Evansville. She recounted the ultrasound she got at around 12 weeks. "The technician told me that she saw boy parts!" And, of course, the tests later revealed an extra chromosome.

Sarah talked about her fear, and how she had to cling to just that seed of faith that she had gotten from pro-life proponents. She said it's easy to stand on the side and do the preaching; it's another thing to be asked to walk the walk. She said that she asked Todd and God, "Why us?" And Todd said, "Why not us?"

She talked briefly about Bristol too, and how both her and Bristol understand what you go through in those situations and the temptation to just make it all go away. She then said that she was thankful for all that her family had gone through in the last two years, and that she wouldn't trade it, nor Trig, nor his extra chromosome for anything in the world.

Near the end of her speech she talked about how politicians who resisted the partial birth abortion ban were either heartless or cowards. She said she would call it like she saw it and that partial birth abortion was killing a baby.

She talked about Pope John Paul II and his passion for life. There were a few other things. I'm sure I'm not the only one who was taking notes.

After she was done, the lady from RTL came back and they brought out a check for a $1,000 that Sarah was giving to help fund their tv ad campaign. Everyone who attended got a kind of postcard and a pen. Basically if you would match Sarah's donation for a $1,000, then you will become one of Sarah's "Rogues" and will be shipped an autographed copy of her book when it comes out. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of money. I guess I'll have to try for a book signing.

The lady also mentioned, "As you know, Jim Doyle is our Governor." Boooos filled the hall, mine included (boos also rang out when Sarah mentioned Nancy Pelosi earlier on). The lady said we'd elect a pro-life Governor next time around. Too early to call that, but I admire her enthusiasm. Truth be told, I know nothing about Scott Walker; I've been focused on other things.

When it was all over, a bunch of people surged forward to get autographs. A couple of guys were there in their Packers jerseys and cheeseheads. They were shoving their cheeseheads forward trying to get them signed. We hightailed it so we could make it out of there. Got home at around 2:00 in the morning.

So, that's the rundown. If I remember anything else I'll mention it later. Good night:)

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Congratulations to the new Governors-Elect of Virginia and New Jersey! I’d also like to offer a special word of support to the new Lieutenant Governor-Elect of New Jersey, Kim Guadagno, the first woman to hold that office.

Of course, the real victors in this election are the ordinary men and women who voted for positive change and a return to fiscal sanity. Your voices have been heard.

The race for New York’s 23rd District is not over, just postponed until 2010. The issues of this election have always centered on the economy – on the need for fiscal restraint, smaller government, and policies that encourage jobs.

In 2010, these issues will be even more crucial to the electorate.

I commend Doug Hoffman and all the other under-dog candidates who have the courage to put themselves out there and run against the odds.

To the tireless grassroots patriots who worked so hard in that race and to future citizen-candidates like Doug, please remember Reagan’s words of encouragement after his defeat in 1976:

“The cause goes on. Don't get cynical because look at yourselves and what you were willing to do, and recognize that there are millions and millions of Americans out there that want what you want, that want it to be that way, that want it to be a shining city on a hill.”

The Daily Beasthas more snippets from Sarah from Alaska. Again, I don't know what's fact and what's fiction; it's fascinating either way:

"McCain's aides literally turned the lights out on Palin when she retook the stage later that night [of the concession] to take pictures with her family, fearing that she would give the concession speech after all.

"Not only was (Palin) denied the opportunity to speak, but there was no real post-campaign celebration with the McCains," the authors write. "Instead, Palin and her entourage accidentally ran into McCain in the parking lot as they were making a quiet exit. McCain's wife Cindy was already in the Chevy suburban when Palin halted them by calling out, 'John, is that you?'"

The Daily Beast was given copies of the speeches Palin could not deliver, concession as well as victory. The victory speech included this line: "And I said to my husband Todd that it's not a step down when he's no longer Alaska's 'First Dude.' He will now be the first guy ever to become the 'Second Dude.'"

Lines from the undelivered concession speech:

“If [Obama] governs America with the skill and grace we have often seen in him, and the greatness of which he is capable, we’re gonna be just fine.”

“Now it is time for us go our way, neither bitter nor vanquished, but instead confident in the knowledge that there will be another day.”

“I told my husband Todd to look at the upside: Now, at least, he can clear his schedule, and get ready for championship title number five in the Iron Dog snow machine race!”

I am very, very excited about the upcoming road trip for my book. It will be an honor to meet as many of you as possible!

“Going Rogue” publisher HarperCollins is working hard to schedule book signings across the nation, and we’ll be announcing the locations in the next day or two. I’ve decided to travel to cities outside of the typical book tour venues, and I hope to cover as much of the country as I can.

We’re in the process of arranging interviews with local and national media. An interview with Oprah Winfrey is already scheduled, and I’m also hoping to have the opportunity to talk with Bill O’Reilly, Barbara Walters, Sean Hannity, Greta Van Susteren, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Dennis Miller, Tammy Bruce, and others, including local Alaska personalities Bob & Mark and Eddie Burke. (Variety is the spice of life!)

Can’t wait to hit the road. Can’t wait to see you!

- Sarah Palin

The excitement is mutual! Hmmm, looks like all fairly good interview choices. Barbara Walters one on one is okay, but just not the View, please.

Is it bad that I'm the most excited about her going on the Bob and Mark Show? I'm pretty much addicted to those guys now. Problem is, I can't listen because I'm not around when they're streaming live and they don't podcast. Grrrr, shame on those guys for getting me hooked and then taking away my BAM fix!

(If anybody out there would like to record it for me, please feel free:)

Leaders of Iran's opposition movement are to make an unprecedented apology to the US on the 30th anniversary of the storming of the American embassy in Tehran.

In a gesture likely to provoke fury among hardliners in the Tehran regime, they will apologise on Wednesday for the hostage crisis that gripped the world for 444 days and led to a decisive break between Iran and the US, which is now routinely denounced as "the Great Satan".

Organisers of the Green Movement, the umbrella group that seeks to overturn the official result of the June presidential election, plan to use the official commemoration of the take over to make a fresh assault on the revolutionary credentials of Iran's leadership.

Mohsen Makhmalbaf, an exiled film-maker who spearheads the opposition campaign overseas, said Iranians should repudiate the events of 1979, when a group of pro-regime agitators took over the US embassy and held diplomats and other occupants.

"Thirty years ago in the turmoil of the revolutionary zeal an indefensible act of hostage taking was committed that the new generation of Iran are not proud of at all," he said. "We know very well how that deplorable action hurt the noble American people and how it led to three decades of unnecessary and painful bad relations between our two nations.

"Only a small and repressive minority who rule Iran today still insist on keeping Iran on a confrontation course with the US, Britain and the West and indeed they have now taken the Iranian people as hostage to their destructive policies."

Protesters plan to deliver a letter addressed to President Barack Obama to the US embassy in London and deliver commemorative plaques to American embassies across Europe.

Student's Day is marked every Nov 4 by large crowds outside the embassy building celebrating the takeover of the "Den of Spies" and shouting slogans such as "Death to America" and "Death to Israel".

But an internet-based campaign has circulated a series of posters calling for infiltrators to denounce President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election. The president's challengers, including the former prime minister, Mir-Hussein Mousavi, have demanded a re-run of the election, which was marred by ballot tampering.

Iran has outlawed opposition rallies and the use of violence by regime supporters has quashed open shows of defiance. The hardline response ordered by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, resulted in the deaths of at least 30 protesters and the detention of thousands. An estimated 200 opposition activists remain behind bars and three have been sentenced to death.

But the tactic of using official holidays as cover has proved to be an effective means of challenging the regime. A day of solidarity with the Palestinians was similarly hijacked in September.

By expressing regret for the embassy takeover, the opposition is taking on the most cherished event in the first months of the Islamic Republic. The confrontation was to define the new state. Tehran's defiance of America means it remains incapable of resolving a stand-off over its secret nuclear programme.

Ahmad Reza Radan, the deputy chief of Iran's police, has warned that counter-demonstrations would be put down.

-----

All I can say is, my heart is with the freedom fighters in Iran, and I wish with all my heart we had a President with the backbone to support you.

Oh, for the days when we stood for something; for a time when we believed in more than just saying "nice doggie" to nutjobs like Ahmadinejad. We desperately need someone who will call a spade a spade. Ronald Reagan, where are you?

An interesting excerpt from Sarah From Alaska, a couple of reporters wrote it who tailed Palin during the campaign:

The day after the debate, Palin caused more headaches when she told Fox News's Carl Cameron that she disagreed with the campaign's decision to pull resources out of Michigan, effectively ceding the state to Obama. She had not been consulted on that critical move in the chess game, which leaked out in a report penned by the Politico's Jonathan Martin the previous afternoon. "I fired off a quick e-mail and said, 'Oh, come on. You know, do we have to? Do we have to call it there?'" she told Cameron. "I want to get back to Michigan, and I want to try."

The e-mail that Palin sent was, in fact, essentially how she described it to Cameron. She wrote to her traveling staff and top McCain advisers, "If there's any time, Todd and I would love a quick return to Michigan-we'd tour the plants, etc. . . . If it does McC any good. I know you have a plan, but I hate to see us leave Michigan. We'll do whatever we had [sic] to do there to give it a 2nd effort."

A senior aide replied, "Michigan is out of reach unless something drastic happens. We must win oh and hopefully pa."

Palin replied that she "got it," but her subsequent interview with Cameron had shown that she hadn't. She acknowledged as much in a postinterview e-mail to senior staff, writing, "Oops-I mentioned something about that to Carl Cameron and it's now recorded that I'd love to give Michigan the ol' college try." Later in the day, she tried once more. "It's a cheap 4hr drive from WI. I'll pay for the gas," she wrote.

Though senior aides had firmly rejected her request, Palin continued to press them on it in the coming days and weeks. A natural optimist but a novice when it came to national campaign strategy, she was inclined not to give up anywhere, much less on a state that had been a prime target for months. She remembered the massive crowds that had greeted her and McCain in Macomb County the day after the convention ended and in Grand Rapids a couple of weeks later. They were good, God-fearing, salt-of-the-earth people. She figured that she could introduce them to her husband, who liked to ride snowmobiles and hunt, just like Michiganders did. Her instincts told her that if she just had a chance to talk to some laid-off automobile workers face-to-face, she could convince them to vote Republican.

"I know what I know what I know." She repeated that mantra to the people around her throughout the campaign. Sometimes she was right, but her growing determination to do things her own way became a continuing headache for the campaign's strategists, who were more interested in polling data and documented fact than they were in the vice presidential candidate's instincts.

Palin sat in her hotel suite in Costa Mesa, California, on the night after the Cameron interview and began to muse with traveling staffers about what she could do to win back Michigan, despite top aides' firm decree that it was out of reach. She was the candidate after all, and it was time for her to take more control over her own destiny. What if they descended upon the state unannounced in the middle of the night and brought Jay Leno or David Letterman along to cover the triumphant surprise visit? Several of her traveling aides loved the idea, as unorthodox as it sounded. There was a growing consensus on the plane that the powers that be at headquarters were holding her back unwisely. The late-night comedian idea was probably pushing it, but maybe they could wait until the next time they were in Ohio and commandeer the campaign bus at the end of the day's events. They could drive it across the border into Michigan, hold a dramatic public appearance to draw in local media, then drive back to Ohio overnight in time for the next day's rallies.

Though many of her aides were on board with her sentiment, other campaign staffers were becoming irritated by how often she brought up her ideas for campaigning in Michigan. There was a growing sense that the vice presidential plane was becoming a renegade operation, increasingly comfortable with acting on its own. Rick Davis was so concerned about the possibility that the governor would ignore orders and travel to Michigan on her own that he attempted to order Secret Service agents to prevent it. Of course, agents would have been obliged to follow the candidate wherever she decided to go.-----

I'm not sure how much of the book is fact and how much is fancy, there's a couple parts that look a little fishy, but overall it looks interesting. I can just see Palin and her aides plotting about how they would hijack the campaign bus and roll into Michigan!

Monday, November 2, 2009

That may as well have been the headline for this crazy bit in the Daily Beast:

Former Republican congressional candidate Dede Scozzafava cried real tears Saturday as she conceded the right-wingers had pushed her out of her race. Even though her local party had picked her to run in Tuesday’s election for the upstate New York seat vacated by the new secretary of the Army, John McHugh, her support for abortion and gay marriage made her too liberal for the new national party.

Insurgent Republicans, led by Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck, mounted a candidate on the conservative line, and fought Scozzafava so effectively that she turned tail and ran. She then endorsed the Democrat.

No need to read further. That about tells you everything you need to know. Let's go back to Palin's endorsement of Hoffman and count the number of times she mentioned gay marriage and abortion, shall we?

Our nation is at a crossroads, and this is once again a "time for choosing."

The federal government borrows, spends, and prints too much money, while our national debt hits a record high. Government is growing while the private sector is shrinking, and unemployment is on the rise. Doug Hoffman is committed to ending the reckless spending in Washington, D.C. and the massive increase in the size and scope of the federal government.

He is also fully committed to supporting our men and women in uniform as they seek to honorably complete their missions overseas. And best of all, Doug Hoffman has not been anointed by any political machine.

Doug Hoffman stands for the principles that all Republicans should share: smaller government, lower taxes, strong national defense, and a commitment to individual liberty.

Did I miss it? Maybe I blinked. Let me look again....nope. I belive that count adds up to zero. While that's enough to discredit the whole article, but let's go a bit further, just for fun:

Scozzafava’s defeat and the mounting campaign against Hutchison reveals a fascinating and underreported problem for the Republicans: They will only run women who will say that women should not control their reproductive fates.

I'm sorry, I thought that the Republican party candidate was Scozzafava. My bad.

Listen, I'm pro-life, but the only issues being discussed are the economy, taxes, etc.... As if a pro-life Congressman could do anything about Roe vs. Wade anyway. Ah, but why stop there? Let's attack Christianity while we're at it:

Evangelicals heavily favor women staying out of the market economy to stay home, and indeed they do disproportionately stay home.

Ah, yes. Never mind that Sarah Palin is an evangelical Christian who seems to have no problem whatsoever with holding political positions. Never mind that young women all across the country are energized because they see that you can remain a woman and not bash all mankind while still taking the world by storm. No matter that I know at least two teenage girls who are thinking of running for office because of the example set by Sarah Palin.

And how horrible that a woman should choose to stay home. I thought the point was liberation, you know, the right of a woman to choose to do whatever she wants, whether that be to work full time or to stay at home? But no, choose the latter and your choice means less than pig dung.

Be prepared to see more of Levi Johnston than you ever wanted to see. The 19-year-old who fathered a baby born out of wedlock to Sarah Palin's teenage daughter Bristol is about to pose nude for Playgirl magazine. Also, with Palin's book "Going Rogue" set for release this month, some publications may follow Vanity Fair's example in October by granting the high school dropout a byline.

In that piece, Johnston claimed that Palin did not nurture her children - or cook or clean - while husband Todd tinkered in the garage or slept on a black recliner in the living room.

This sort of Vanity Fair piece need not include verification by other sources, but there must be a paragraph with a seedy nugget in it. So Johnston wrote that the former Alaska governor sometimes called her Down syndrome son Trig "the retarded baby."

Appearing on CBS' "The Early Show" last week, Johnston released his latest salvo: "If I really wanted to hurt (Palin), I could, very easily, but I'm not going to do it, I'm not going that far."Not yet, anyway.

Johnston garners more ink in British than American newspapers. But he frequently is fodder for left-wing blogs and among pundits who concoct phrases like "Wasilla hillbilly" - and cannot let go. He is the scratch for the itch of partisans so anxious to feel superior to Palin that they will consume any negative story about her, no matter how tainted. MSNBC talking heads like to bring up Levi Johnston.

Methinks if Fox News aired similar stories about a Democrat's daughter, there would be news stories questioning the right-leaning network's news judgment. After all, the accusations of an underemployed 19-year-old - who has a career incentive to dish out dirt on Palin - are not exactly credible.

Or as "The Early Show's" Maggie Rodriguez wondered during an "exclusive" interview last week, "You really sound like somebody who's dead set on hurting these people the way they hurt you."

Rodriguez also asked, "Why should people believe you versus her?"

To which Johnston replied, "I don't know." And: "I mean I was like family in that house." (All the more reason for Johnston to have kept his mouth zipped.)

Granted, Palin doesn't help her case when her spokesperson releases statements trashing the father of her grandson. Such as: "Consider the source of the most recent attention-getting lies - those who would sell their body for money reflect a desperate need for attention and are likely to say and do anything for even more attention." This is one of those situations in which "No comment" would have worked better.

Of course, Palin is outraged because Johnston is behaving like a classic heel.

But he's a 19-year-old heel, who clearly is in over his head. No doubt Johnston will come to regret the Faustian choice he has made. TV producers and magazine biggies may woo Johnston in their zeal to discredit Palin. But he can give them what they want only by making things up or betraying confidences - that is by making himself look like a world-class creep. In no time, they'll be trashing Johnston as a hick turncoat/opportunist.

During her interview, Rodriguez asked Johnston if he felt "used and discarded" by Palin. He said he did - and he failed to note the irony.

No, I couldn't possibly agree with Shannyn Moore on something, could I? Well, maybe just this once I could. Just this once. Moore has a article up at the Huffington Compost warning that the GOP to watch out for Palin. Some excerpts:

When Palin filed to run for governor against first term incumbent Frank Murkowski, people took notice. Frank wasn't loved. His first act as governor was to nepotistically appoint his daughter to fill his vacated US Senate seat. Within the Alaska GOP, a war ensued, including fisticuffs at the Republican Party picnic between rabid Palin supporters and the GOP faithful. Oh, lookie, there went the state...

Many people regard Sarah Palin as a punch line. That's too easy. In fact, she's more of a threat. If the Republican Party had half a mind, they would look at Palin's history of party divisiveness, polarization and destruction and take heed. In fact, they'd be smart to take her at her word. She's a self-proclaimed rogue.

Okay, stop right there. She is not a "self-proclaimed" Rogue. That is a title she was stamped with by McCain's people that she has since embraced. But, whatever. Context means little to Shannyn. Moving on....

Case in point: New York's congressional race in House District 23. Sarah Palin's meddling has a Republican, Dede Scozzafava, dropping out and throwing their support for Democrat Bill Owens! Palin's support went to a candidate from the party of Glenn Beck.

Hm. I didn't know Glenn Beck had a party. Where do I go to register? Kidding. Shannyn also throws around some garbage about the Virginia and NJ races. We'll skip it and go on to...

So, Palin is doing exactly what she threatened to do when she quit: "I WILL support others who seek to serve, in or out of office, for the RIGHT reasons, and I don't care what party they're in or no party at all. Inside Alaska - or Outside Alaska." -Sarah Palin, July 3.

Apparently, Palin will endorse and campaign for various candidates against their wishes; talk about going rogue. Perhaps Palin should have included in her "I'm Quitting" speech she would work for teabaggers who also happen to be carpetbaggers like Doulglas L. Hoffman who purportedly doesn't even live in New York District 23.

The ripping and tearing of Republican political flesh doesn't keep me up at night. Sarah Palin is either a treasonous Republican...or a brilliant Democratic operative.

Ah, yes, being called a "teabagger" by a peace-loving, tolerant liberal. It's what I live for. Shannyn couldn't resist throwing Bob and Mark into the fray with this stab:

Palin and Wasilla Republican and Alaska Senate President, Lyda Green, often clashed over politics in Green's district. On a local shock jock talk show, Palin giggled after the host called Lyda Green "a cancer". Green had just recovered from cancer. Plunk, there went the district.

For actual context and not the twenty second snippet that the libs have circulated online, listen to the whole exchange:

I think "cancer on the progress of the state of Alaska" pretty much covers it. Basically Lyda threw a temper tantrum over a one hour time difference in the state of the state address, claimed it was too early, then finally ended up setting the time at two hours earlier than Palin had requested. Just an example of how the libs will spin things.

But, I agree with Shannyn (as much as it pains me to say it) on one thing - Palin is a threat to the GOP. Can I get an Amen?

Response to Vice President Biden's Comments Today About My Position On Energy Independence:

As the vice president knows, I have always advocated an all-of-the-above approach to American energy independence. Among other things, my alternative energy goal for Alaska sits at 50 percent because Alaska reached more than 20 percent during my term in office. The Obama-Biden administration, on the other hand, recently announced a renewable goal of only 25 percent.

However, domestic drilling should remain a top priority in order to meet America’s consumption and security needs. The vice president’s extreme opposition to domestic energy development goes all the way back to 1973 when he opposed the Alaska pipeline bill.

As Ann Coulter pointed out, “Biden cast one of only five votes against the pipeline that has produced more than 15 billion barrels of oil, supplied nearly 20 percent of this nation’s oil, created tens of thousands of jobs, added hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy and reduced money transfers to the nation’s enemies by about the same amount.” This nonsensical opposition to American domestic energy development continues to this day.

Apparently the Obama-Biden administration only approves of offshore drilling in Brazil, where it will provide security and jobs for Brazilians. This election is about American security and American jobs.

There’s one way to tell Vice President Biden that we’re tired of folks in Washington distorting our message and hampering our nation’s progress: Hoffman, Baby, Hoffman!

New York's 23rd Congressional District has become the site of a showdown between RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) and conservatives. The conservatives are winning -- but the RINOs are not being gracious in defeat. Now the RINOs are showing how much party unity means to them. They have no loyalty to conservatives; why should conservatives have any loyalty to them?

The latest showdown came when ultra-liberal State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava became the Republican candidate in that district. The ACORN racketeering arm, the Working Families Party, backed her. Yet the Republican old guard backed this useful idiot. Newt Gingrich backed this tool. The name "Republican" was all that mattered to them. Not principle.

But Sarah Palin, a true conservative, instead endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. And so did other conservatives. The Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, said: "Electing Doug Hoffman will send a clear message that cannot be denied: conservatives must stand on principle."

Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Mary Fallin said that Hoffman had "reminded Americans everywhere that principles come before party affiliation." Kansas senatorial candidate Todd Tiahrt explained the choice: "The Republican Party is either going to return to the party of fiscal responsibility and consistent conservative principles as it was under Ronald Reagan or it will continue down the path of ‘sporadic moderation.'"

And Saturday, the Arctic Fox had the last laugh: Scozzafava dropped out of the race, saying: "In recent days, polls have indicated that my chances of winning this election are not as strong as we would like them to be." Palin responded generously, writing: "I want to personally thank Republican Dede Scozzafava for acting so selflessly today in the NY District 23 race. Now it's time to cross the finish line with Doug Hoffman so that he can get to work for District 23 and the rest of America."

Palin explained what was at stake: "With Congress poised to overhaul one-sixth of our economy with so-called health care ‘reform' (which is really a government takeover of health care) and with plans to enact a cap-and-tax bill just as our economy struggles to recover, Doug Hoffman will be a voice for fiscal responsibility and common sense in Washington. We need candidates like Doug now more than ever."

Scozzafava was not as generous. On Sunday, she showed her true colors: this enemy in our ranks announced that she was backing the Democratic candidate, Bill Owens, not the Conservative Hoffman.

This showed just how bad things have become. The Republican Party has been hijacked. Conservatives have been driven underground by the RINOs and the DIABLOs (Democrats in all but label only). This leftish creep was insidious until we got clubbed over the head when the ultra liberal media picked our presidential candidate -- the Gang of 14 tool John McCain.

We all sucked it up. We went along. We embraced the ticket in the spirit of AROO -- (any Republican over Obama) -- and we held our noses until Sarah Palin came along. Ah, just a spoonful of Sarah helped the medicine go down.

But now it's time to clean house. Newt and his ilk will be relegated to the dustbin of history, and deservedly so. Enough with the old, in with the true!

Nothing happens for decades, and then decades happen in a day. So it was with 911, and so it is with Barack Obama in the White House. This terrible compromise between the RINOs and the conservatism is over. In any compromise between individual rights and collectivism, collectivism profits. It's all on the back of the individual. Basta!

The new Republican partiers - Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Allen West - these people are our future. The RINOs belong to the past. It is over for them. It's over for the Newts, for Romneys, the Steeles, the David Keenes, the Norquists, the Lindsey Grahams. Scozzafava's failure was just the beginning. You ain't seen nuthin yet. It is time to kick the RINOs to da curb.

The first traitor to go must be Olympia Snowe.

It's time to take back the Republican Party.

But first we must purge the voter rolls of all the Democrat fraud and skullduggery. Americans deserve clean elections.

It's time to take back America.

-----

And with that, another Palin nickname begins enjoying popularity: Arctic Fox. And I've never heard the AROO before. I like it:)

According to CNN, Palin has started making robocalls to Virginians urging them to vote for Sarah's principles:

“Virginia, hello, this is Sarah Palin calling to urge you to go to the polls Tuesday and vote for Sarah’s principles. The eyes of America will be on Virginia and make no mistake about it, every vote counts. So don’t take anything for granted, vote your values on Tuesday, and urge your friends and family to vote, too.”

I'm not sure how I feel about this. First of all, McDonnell probably doesn't need any help. Secondly, robocalls are annoying. But whatever. We shall see what we shall see.

On the other hand, if I got one of those messages, I might never delete it.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Despite what candidate Chris Daggett is claiming, I have never contacted him or his campaign. I have never asked him to drop out of the NJ Governor’s race. Now, if a politician is going to play loose with facts like this, the electorate needs to know it.

So, to the good people of New Jersey, please know that Daggett’s claims are false. I’ve never even suggested he should drop out of the race. But, come to think of it…

Two weeks after Sarah Palin's unique exit from public office, Newt Gingrich offered up some unsolicited counsel for the former governor in an interview with POLITICO. Apparently, Newt was certain that Palin's reputation needed serious burnishing, and he was all too ready to provide it by offering substantial details on the range and style of speeches that would be most appropriate for Palin to deliver to various audiences in order to sustain a public revival. Exactly why he felt she needed his help remains a bit of a mystery, except that Gingrich, like Karl Rove, seems absolutely certain that the world is always on edge awaiting his next tactical stroke of genius.

Now that an intense internecine battle is raging over how Republicans should react to Doug Hoffman's Conservative Party bid for New York's 23rd , one thing is certain: it is Newt whose reputation is in shambles, and it is he who should seek political advice from Palin as to how he might regain his lost stature. And this will remain true whether Mr. Hoffman wins or loses.

By unconditionally supporting the Republican machine candidate Dede Scozzafava -- one of the most liberal candidates ever offered by the party in any race -- Newt has forfeited any remnant of respect he might have retained as the standard-bearer of the conservative congressional revolution of 1994.

Scozzafava supports the same extreme political positions (card-check, Obama stimulus) as any adolescent left-wing blogger. She maintains deep alliances with the most radical and odious groups (Acorn, Working Family Party) associated with the Democratic Party. By standing with her, Newt Gingrich has earned that dreaded label he once affixed to Nancy Pelosi. Newt has become a partisan and trivial politician. He has become a common hack.

In contrast, Sarah Palin just compiles conservative esteem. When she railed against the compromised Republican machine in its support of Scozzafava, it felt like a stiff, clean, purifying breeze. In her October 24th Facebook Note announcing her support for Hoffman, Palin argued with deep philosophical references to conservative ideals. Her support and conviction were not products of a focus group. The note moved many a radio talk show host who read it aloud, from Mark Levin to Tammy Bruce. It was the reasoned stance of a visionary.

Palin evoked Ronald Reagan, mentioned the importance of establishing sharp contrasts with opponents, and stressed the primacy of principle over party. Palin continues to be the antithesis of the trivial politician. She has that unique ability to convey the highest sense of personal honor without ever projecting any of the usual political pomposity. Perhaps the highest compliment we can pay Palin is that she is always interesting and always surprising.

This is the reason so many political junkies from the right and left have undisclosed part-time jobs as Palin observers. You can never get enough of authenticity. Near the end of her farewell speech, Palin promised that by removing the confining yoke of office she'd be able "to work even harder for you. For what is right. And for truth."

What she meant by those almost biblical cadences wasn't clear then, but now it is coming into focus. And what is most stunning is that she is attaining her goals not by speaking in front of audiences, but through her writing. We all know how mesmerizing she is on the stump. But none of us had any idea that she was a gifted prose stylist: succinct, witty, and memorable.

But she has chosen Facebook, not YouTube, as her preferred mode of communication, at least for now. And over and over again, she has proven highly effective and influential, whether discussing health care, energy, China policy, defense, or congressional elections.

It's an effectiveness gained through focus, a focus that we can only hope other politicians begin to emulate. Free markets, individual liberty, small government, strong national defense, and low taxes are the constant themes she invokes. Along with those values, she makes constant mention of the two political giants of the 20th century who embodied them, championed them, and communicated them tirelessly: Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

While pundit after pundit argues that we should throw Reagan over the side in pursuit of Obama-lite, Palin is bringing us back to the principled, universal roots that Reagan shared with the Founders. While many columnists anguish over immoderate candidates, Palin warns against "blurring the lines" and writes a Facebook birthday tribute to Margaret Thatcher.

A recent Gallup poll shows that in America, conservatives outnumber liberals by two to one. We know from history that conservatives can win landslide elections. But conservatives need to be confident to be resurgent.

None of us knows what Sarah Palin has in mind for 2012 and beyond. But if she is the force that helped us regain the confidence of our convictions, then she will have given us a gift beyond repayment.

Topics

God: Judeo-Christian principles and, yes, how they have applied to our system of government.Guts: Those intrinsic things that we feel down in our inner-most being; the things we know are right, and the courage to defend them.Sarah Palin: The name speaks for itself.

Conservatives4Congress

Sarah's Twitter

My Twitter

Palin TV

Followers

Contact Me

Disclaimer

Disclaimers seem to be fashionable these days, so here's mine:

If you think that anything on this blog is in any way connected to Governor Palin herself, you're nuts. These are all my own stupid opinions. Palin probably doesn't even know I exist, nor does she care.

There, that should do it.

Oh, and don't assume that my posts from a year ago reflect the exact same opinion I hold now. I don't have time to go back and update every time I change my mind for the one or two people who are going to click on that post in the future.

"Notice how they’ll accept anything except a (wo)man who stands alone. They recognize (her) at once . . . . There’s a special, insidious kind of hatred for her. They forgive criminals. They admire dictators....They’ve got to force their miserable little personalities on every single person they meet. The independent (wo)man kills them—because they don’t exist within her and that’s the only form of existence they know. Notice the malignant kind of resentment against any idea that propounds independence. Notice the malice toward an independent (wo)man." - The Fountainhead